Science & Spaceflight

NASA rolled the 322-foot Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B on Saturday, a roughly 4-mile, ~1 mph move that began at daybreak and arrived by nightfall as part of preparations for the Artemis II crewed lunar fly‑around. Thousands of Kennedy Space Center workers and families — including NASA administrator Jared Isaacman and all four Artemis II astronauts, with commander Reid Wiseman calling the rocket “awe‑inspiring” — watched as officials said a pad fueling test in early February will determine a launch date; NASA has only a five‑day window in the first half of February before schedule pressure would push the mission into March, after earlier delays tied largely to heat‑shield damage and other Orion issues from Artemis I.